Croke Park
Croke Park (Irish: Páirc an Chrócaigh, IPA: [ˈpˠaːɾʲc ə ˈxɾˠoːkəj]) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Since 1891 the site has been used by the GAA to host Gaelic sports, including the annual All-Ireland in Gaelic football and hurling.
| Páirc an Chrócaigh | |
Croker | |
| Location | Jones Road, Dublin 3, D03 P6K7, Ireland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53.3609°N 6.2519°W |
| Public transit | Drumcondra railway station |
| Owner | GAA |
| Capacity | 82,300 |
| Record attendance | 90,556 (Down–Offaly, 24 September 1961) |
| Field size | 145m x 88m |
| Surface | Soil pitch |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1880 |
| Opened | 1884 |
| Renovated | 2004 |
| Construction cost | €266 million (2004 renovation) |
| Architect | Gilroy McMahon |
| Project manager | Seamus Monahan & Partners |
| Structural engineer | Horgan Lynch & Partners |
| Tenants | |
| Gaelic Athletic Association Ireland national rugby union team (2007–2010) Republic of Ireland national football team (2007–2010) | |
| Website | |
| www | |
A major expansion and redevelopment of the stadium ran from 1991 to 2005, raising capacity to its current 82,300 spectators. This makes Croke Park the fourth-largest stadium in Europe, and the largest not usually used for association football in Europe.
Along with Other events held at the stadium include the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2003 Special Olympics, and numerous musical concerts. In 2012, Irish pop group Westlife sold out the stadium in a record-breaking time: less than 5 minutes. From 2007 to 2010, Croke Park hosted home matches of the Ireland national rugby union team and the Republic of Ireland national football team, while their new Aviva Stadium was constructed. This use of Croke Park for non-Gaelic sports was controversial and required temporary changes to GAA rules. In June 2012, the stadium hosted the closing ceremony of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress during which Pope Benedict XVI gave an address over a video link.